Mail-bag catcher.



No. 872,664. A PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907 F. MELGHER.

MAIL BAG OATOHER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.13, 1907.

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No. 872,664. PATBNTED DEC. s, 1907.

MELGHER.

' MAIL BAG GATGHER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1907.

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FREDRIOK MELOHER, OF W'HEELING, WESTVIRGINIA. j

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed September 13. 1907. Serial No. 392,735-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRIOK MELOHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at 3111 McCulloch street, Wheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of West Virginia,

have invented certain new and useful 1m provements in Mail-Bag Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail bag catch ers, designed to receive a bag from a moving train, and has for its object to provide an improved device of the kind, the principal fea tures of which are a swinging arm supported by a post beside the railway and having a clamping arm whichis controlled by a trigger and which is released by contact of the mail bag with a strike plate on the arm, and when released the clamping arm engages and holds the bag, and the swinging arm then swings around out of the way of the train, so that there is no possibility of injury to the heads of persons looking out of the windows or otherwise projecting beyond the side of the cars of the train.

The device is automatic in its operation, to the extent that the action of the clamping arm is controlled entirely by the impact of a bag against the catcher. I

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation thereof. 2 is a rear elevation thereof, partly insection. Fig. 3 is a top view. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 6 indicates a supporting post which is conveniently made of a, metal pipe, and which may be supported on a platform or at any other convenient position beside the track. This post has a cap 7, screwed on the top. In the upper end of the post a recess 8 is formed, to receive the inner end of the swinging arm 9 which supports the operative parts of the catcher. This arm 9 is conveniently formed of channel iron, with the flanges extending horizontally, and it is pivoted to the post by means of a pin 10 the upper end of which is screwed into the cap as at 11 and'the lower end of which is held in a block 12 fixed within the postat the lower edge of the recess 8. The pin is held by a jam nut 13. The spring 14 is coiled around the pin above the arm, and is fixed at one end in the nut 13 and at the other end in the upper flange of the swinging arm. This spring tends to hold the Fig.

arm in position extending toward the railway track, and ready for operation.

The clamping arm is indicated at 15 and it is pivoted on a pin 16 which extends between the upper and lower flanges of the swinging arm. The clamping arm' works through a slot or opening 17 formed in the face of the swinging arm, near the outer end thereof, and the clamping arm is bent so that when in set position it extends outwardly or forwardly at substantially a right angle to the swinging arm, as shown in Fig. 4, and when released it swings inwardly toward the swinging arm. A flat spring 18, fixed to the rear side of the swinging arm, bears against a toe 19 projecting from the pin 16, and said spring' tends to swing the clamping arm inwardly when the latter is released. A trigger 20 engages a projection 21 at the inner end of the clamping arm 15 and holds said arm in set position until released. The trigger is pressed behind by fiat spring 22.

Located in front of the swinging arm 9 is a strike plate 23 which is pivotally supported by a pin 24, the strike plate having an arm 25 which extends through a hole 26 in the swinging arm and is curled around said pin. At the inner end the strike plate has a pair of forwardly projecting fingers 27, with a space therebetween, and at its outer end it has spaced branches 28 between which the clamping arm 15 Works. A pin 29 is fixed to the strike plate and extends backwardlythrough an opening in,the swinging arm 9 and is connected to the pivoted trigger 20.

When in set position the strike plate is'located a few inches in advance of the swinging arm, as shown in Fig. 4.

For setting the clamping arm a rope 48 is connected to an arm 49 projecting from the pivot pin 16 of the clamping arm, by means of a bolt 30 to give proper direction to the pull, and said rope extends over a pulley 31 mounted on the arm and down beside the post in convenient position for operation from back in consequence of the impact ofthe bag, the catch 34 engages in one of the holes 33 and prevents the arm from returning until the latch is released. The arm 9 carries a depending screen 36, supported by rods 37, to receive the impact of the bag which is indicated at 38.

In operation, the bag is carried by any suitable arrangement of arms or hooks projecting from the side of the car and adapted to release the bag on contact with the catcher. A slip catch attached to the ordinary hook carried by railway mail cars will be suitable for the purpose, although, preferably, the bag will be supported or held at top and bottom so as to be retained in vertical position and at a proper distance from the side of the car to strike the catcher. The catcher is set by allowing the arm 9 to swing out toward the track, as indicated in the drawings. The clamping arm 15 is then set by pulling on the rope 28, which brings same to the position shown in Fig. 4 with the trigger 20 engaging the projection 21 and holding the arm in said position. When the bag strikes the arm it pushes the strike plate 23 back which releases the trigger, and the pressure of the spring 18 instantly snaps the 'clamping arm around inwardly to the position shown in the other figures, catching and clamping the bag as indicated in Fig. 1. The projecting fingers 27 serve to guide the bag and to assist in holding the same. At the same time, the impact of the bag causes the arm 9 to swing back to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, parallel to the track, in which position it is out of the way and will clear any projections on the side of the car, and avoid the possibility of injury to persons riding on steps or looking out of doors or windows. The gravity latch 34 holds the arm in such retracted position. By releasing the latch it will again swing out into position, ready for next operation.

The catcher is simple in construction and reliable in operation and is capable of effective use for the purpose of catching bags from moving trains. By a slight modification it may be used on a mail car, for the purpose of delivering mail bags to the car from a sup port beside the track.

I claim:

1. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a support, a swinging arm, pivoted at one end thereto and adapted to swing under impact of the bag, and a clamping arm pivoted at the other end of the said swinging arm and arranged to swing toward said swinging arm and automatically actuated by the bag to grip the same between the said arms on the impact of the bag.

2. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a support, an arm thereon, a springactuated clamping arm pivoted to said arm and arranged to swing toward and from the same, a trigger which holds said clamping arm in set position, and a strike plate pivoted at its inner end to the arm to receive the impact of the mail bag and connected to the trigger to release the clamping arm, and having forwardly extending fingers at said inner end, between which the clamping arm enters when released.

3. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a support, an arm pivoted at its inner end thereto, a clamping arm pivoted to the outer end of said arm and arranged to swing inwardly toward the same to grip a bag therebetween, a spring connected to said arm and tending to swing the same inwardly, and a pivoted strike plate located in front of said arm, to receive the impact of the bag and having a rearwardly extending pin, and a trigger connected to the pin and adapted to release the clamping arm when the bag strikes said plate.

4. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a post, an arm pivotally mounted thereon, to swing toward and from the track under impact of a bag, a bag-catching device at the outer end of the arm, a segmental plate carried by the arm and having a series of perforations therein, and a latch supported on the post and engageable in the perforations in the plate when swung away from the track, to prevent the return of the arm.

5. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a tubular post having an opening in the side thereof at the top, a pivot pin supported within the post, a swinging arm the inner end of which extends through said opening and is mounted on the pin, and a bag catching device carried at the outer end of said arm.

6. In a mail bag catcher, the combination of a support, an arm attached thereto and having rearwardly extending flanges at its upper and lower edges, a bent spring-actuated clamping arm pivoted between said flanges and extending in front of the arm and arranged to swing to and from the same, a strike plate movable in front of the arm, and a trigger pivoted between said flanges and connected to the strike plate and engageable with the clamping arm to hold the samein set position, and adapted to be released by impact of a bag against the strike plate.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FREDRICK MELCHER.

Witnesses:

h/IARY L. MORTON, GEO. E. Tnw. 

